World of Horror: The Meeting of Madness
by JOfHearts
Summary: America changes the location of the latest world meeting to a city none of the other nations have heard of before. What they find upon arrival is a dreary place where nothing is quite right and an America that's not quite himself. The longer they stay, the more they wish to leave, but unfortunately, it might already be too late. (The main event of J's October Hetalia Horror Series)
1. Arrival

**World of Horror**

**The Meeting of Madness**

**Part 1: Arrival**

The next world meeting was coming around, and this time it was America's turn as hosting nation. Normally when he hosted, the meeting would be held in New York City, and that was the original plan this time, as well. However, about a week before the meeting was set to take place, the rest of the nations received an email from America saying that the location of the meeting had changed. The meeting would now be held in another of his states, Massachusetts, in a city they'd never heard of.

Needless to say, many of the other nations were annoyed by the sudden change and the last minute alterations to their travel plans that they would have to make because of it. They were especially irked when none of them could get a straight explanation out of America as to why the location had changed when they asked him.

It was in this sour, frustrated mood that the nations of the world began to converge on the city of Arkham, Massachusetts.

**-oAPHo-**

Gray.

That was the word that came to mind as Canada stepped out of his cab in front of the hotel America had reserved for all the guest nations, his luggage and bear at his side. Everything in the city seemed to have a filter of gray over it, the buildings, the sky, even the people that walked past had a dreary, gray atmosphere about them. The air he breathed in tasted of it, too, as the salt of the sea nearby mixed with the local pollution and the oppressive mood.

It was an old city, relatively speaking for a nation so young, and one that seemed to be crumbling at the edges. He passed a surprising amount of closed down small businesses on the way in, the roads were in serious need of repair, and the local greenery, if it could be called that, was truly neglected. The only place that seemed to be in good shape was the local college, which he could have sworn he'd heard of somewhere, but he just couldn't recall where.

All in all, the city came across as unimpressive at best, and downright depressing at worst, and Canada couldn't help but be surprised that this was where his flashy, sometimes show-off of a brother had decided to change their meeting location to. No nation wanted to be seen at their less than best for these meetings, and they tended to host in their proudest cities, at their nicest buildings, with the best accomodations they had to offer. Even Canada himself, who could be considered modest to a fault, tried to make his best impression when hosting other nations. Though truthfully, he did so with the small, perhaps naive, hope that others would remember him afterwards, but it was still a commonality he shared with the rest of the world regardless of his motives. So yes, this was very odd indeed for America.

On a more irksome note, America had failed to pick Canada up at the airport in Boston like he'd promised to, forcing him to make the trip into Arkham on his own, which was always less than ideal for the quiet, near-invisible nation. It was hard enough getting a cab to notice and pull over for him, then there was the business of actually finding a driver who knew how to get him there. Apparently Arkham wasn't a very popular or well known location. The whole ordeal was why he preferred hitching a ride with his brother when he could, and it would figure that the time America chose a strange location would be when he forgot about him yet again. He hadn't even responded to any of his messages.

Canada noticed that the people walking by were staring at him as they passed. He probably looked strange to them, standing around pouting at the building before him with a live miniature polar bear at his feet snuffling around. He sighed, he should probably head inside and see if he could track down America.

"Let's go, Kuma," he said to his companion as he picked up his suitcase.

"Don't like it," said the bear, staring meaningfully up at his owner with his black eyes.

Canada smiled softly, patting his friend's head, "come on, it's only for three days." With a final scratch behind the ears, he walked into the hotel, his bear following reluctantly behind him.

**-oAPHo-**

Austria rubbed his temples, taking a seat on his hotel bed as he felt a headache coming on. He took his glasses off, setting them on the nightstand so he wouldn't jostle them. Ever since America changed the meeting location on such short notice, the entire process had been one small inconvenience after another, building up into something that was surely more trouble than it was worth. He swore to give the younger nation a piece of his mind when he saw him at the meeting.

"Roderich? Is something the matter?"

He felt the mattress dip and the weight and warmth of his ex-wife settle beside him as Hungary placed a concerned hand between his shoulder blades. He looked over at her, his gaze softening as he offered her a grateful nod.

"Just a slight headache," he assured her truthfully. Honestly, at this point its presence was more a nuisance to him than any actual considerable pain, much like the rest of this trip. It was barely the first day and he already missed his home, his piano in particular. "It's nothing to worry about."

He took a moment to gather himself in silence while Hungary stood and continued to settle into their room.

**-oAPHo-**

Liechtenstein stared glumly out the window, a small sigh escaping her lips.

Normally she liked coming to these meetings. While her big brother might find them a waste of time, and she couldn't deny that they were less than productive most of the time, she enjoyed the traveling and seeing people she didn't get the chance to see all the time. It wasn't as though she didn't enjoy her quiet life with her brother, because she did, but a change of scenery every once in a while couldn't hurt.

But when the scenery was this dreary…

"The meeting won't take long."

Her brother's voice brought her out of her gloomy thoughts and she turned around to see him watching her. His face was serious as always, but she saw the understanding of her feelings in his eyes and it made her smile.

"I know, big brother," she pulled away from the window, not giving it a second glance. She couldn't let the gray skies drag her down. She still had friends she could visit here, and there was always something interesting happening at the meeting, whether it was intentional or not. "Can I go say hello to the other nations?"

Switzerland hesitated, as he always did, but he eventually relented, again as he always did. "Alright, but I will come with you."

"Okay!"

**-oAPHo-**

England frowned as he looked at the three fairies huddled together on his pillow. They'd fallen ill soon after he arrived at the hotel, the poor creatures's lights dimming and their wings unable to support them in flight.

He had no idea what brought this on, though he had a feeling that the location was to blame. The air had a strange taste to it here, and he could sense some lingering magic in the area, though he wasn't sure what it was coming from. He'd never known America to even believe in magic, let alone practice it. Maybe it was a new development for his former charge? He'd have to ask him when he saw him.

"Rest for now, my friends," he said gently, removing a fresh handkerchief from his pocket and draping it over the smaller forms of the fairies like a blanket. "I'm sure you'll be right as rain in no time."

"Talking to your imaginary friends again, mon cher?"

"Francis!" England whirled around to face the older nation who somehow had found a way into his hotel room. Again. He glared, fighting to keep his voice down for the sake of his sick friends. "How the hell do you keep finding your way into my room!?"

France chuckled, always seeming to find amusement in England's anger. "Angleterre, you should know by now that mere doors can't get in the way of my love for you~"

The taller man swooped in for a kiss, to which England promptly shoved him away. "Quit messing around and get out, I have to go find Alfred."

He didn't even wait for a reply, stomping out of his room with a clear purpose in mind. Find America, and then figure out how to help his friends.

_**A/N: In this ookiest, kookiest, most positively spookiest month of October, I present to you the World of Horror, a series of Hetalia focused horror stories featuring your favorite nations receiving the greatest frights this amateur schmuck known as JOfHearts can provide!**_

_**Here, my dearest creepy crawlies, we have the main event of the World of Horror series: The Meeting of Madness! In this mysterious monstrous multi-chapter piece, our unsuspecting nations attend a meeting they'll never forget… if they can survive, that is! There is more than boring presentations and petty arguments to fear, for this peculiar American city has something truly nasty in store for our clueless cast. Will our nations find a way to escape a terrible fate? And more importantly, will I finish this before October 31st if at all? **_

_**Well, we'll just have to see…**_

_**Stay Spooked,**_

_**J**_

_**PS- On a less flamboyant note, this is going to be my big project for the month and I'm hoping to finish it by my self-set deadline of Halloween. There will be other one-shots I intend to write, some serious and some silly, and they will be posted as their own stories. I can't attest to how scary this story will actually be, but I'm hoping to use these stories to develop my horror writing, and I hope you'll enjoy the ride. I will warn you that it could really go either way as to whether this gets a good as it can be ending or a straight up bad ending.**_

_**Take care, everyone.**_


	2. Strange Behavior

**World of Horror**

**The Meeting of Madness**

**Part 2: Strange Behavior**

After finding his hotel room and dropping off his luggage, Canada went in search of America, Kumajirou electing to stay in the room and nap. His furry companion was still quite agitated and Canada couldn't figure out why. The place was dreary, for sure, but surely it was passable for a few short days.

He made a mental note to give Kumajirou a treat when he returned to the room. Food would definitely cheer his friend up.

When Canada finally tracked down his brother, it was outside of the room that the meeting would take place in. America's back was to him as he approached, and he was talking to what appeared to be members of the establishment's staff.

Simultaneously, the people America was talking to turned their attention from him to Canada as the nation drew closer, staring at him silently. Canada unwittingly froze on the spot, unused to someone noticing him so quickly without him trying to draw attention to himself. Especially someone noticing him over America. Especially America's own citizens. Canada got noticed just fine by his own people, but others? Not so much.

He was so stunned that he didn't notice that America was also aware of his presence and was making his way over. When America's hand landed on his shoulder, Canada barely managed to stop himself from jumping out of his skin.

"Bro! How goes it?" America's smile stretched wide and friendly across his face, his eyes focused completely on his northern neighbor.

It made Canada slightly uncomfortable to have so much attention put on him by America when normally his brother, ever the multitasker with a short attention span, would have no less than three things occupying his thoughts at once. Canada often felt like he wasn't even there when America was with him, unlike right now. It also made him a little annoyed, where was this awareness of his existence when he needed a ride from the airport?

Canada shook such thoughts from his head, "hey, Alfred. I'm well, and you?"

America's smile, if possible, widened even more, "I'm doing just fine."

There was an awkward pause, another thing Canada wasn't used to when it came to America, and America's hand was still heavy upon his shoulder. He cleared his throat, subtly trying to shake America's hand off until the other nation finally relented, slowly moving his hand away and lowering it to his side.

Canada took a moment to really look at America. He looked tired, his skin a bit pale with shadows beneath his eyes and a lack of glossy sheen to his golden hair. Maybe he was getting sick? Though it could be this town they were currently in. Nations often began to subtly reflect their immediate area when in their own territory, and he did normally see America in a New York City setting when he visited. Right now, America definitely looked like he fit in with the grey atmosphere of Arkham.

"Are you okay?" he couldn't help but ask, his brows furrowed.

"Sure, why do you ask?" came America's short reply. If anything, his stare became more intense as he tilted his head and watched him.

Canada shuffled his feet, "well, uh, you just seem tired." When America did nothing more than blink at him, he felt pressured into elaborating, "a-and you forgot me at the airport, and this whole new meeting location was kind of sudden, eh?"

"I see," America's expression cleared up for just a moment, something passing over his eyes in a brief flash before it was gone again. Suddenly, America laughed boisterously, startling Canada, and he patted Canada's arm just a little too roughly. "Well, sorry about that! I must have forgot. It's been busy, you know? Changing meeting spots wasn't a walk in the park, I'll tell you that for free!"

"Then why did you? Change it, I mean..." Canada asked curiously, trying to hide his cringe as he rubbed his arm. It was the question that was on everyone's mind, but no one could get a straight answer out of America.

America gave him an excited smile, "I want you all to see something."

Canada frowned at the vague answer, feeling frustrated and a little wary. Whatever sort of surprise America had in store for them, it was sure to make people mad at America, even more than they usually were. And when people were mad at America, they tended to take it out on him by mistake. "Just what are you up to this time, Alfred?" he asked, his tone exasperated.

"There you are!"

Just before America could answer, England came walking over to them, a slightly amused France in tow. The two European nations didn't pay Canada any mind as England began talking to America about something. Seeing that he was forgotten for the time being, Canada sighed. He decided to go see if he could find something to eat and then head back to his room and feed Kumajirou, a better use of his time.

Before he walked away, America glanced over at him, the look in his eyes unreadable. Canada was struck by the fact that he was noticed again and he found himself reflecting on their conversation for the rest of the day.

**-oAPHo-**

"Are you sick?" it was one of the first things out of England's mouth when he finally got a good look at America.

America chuckled, "you're not the first person to ask me something like that. Do I really look that bad?"

"You have looked better, Amérique, though not by much," France offered teasingly, though he too was looking over America curiously.

England shook his head, unable to help worrying over his former charge a little. "Don't tell me you've been staying up late doing something ridiculous again?" it wouldn't be the first time America neglected himself in pursuit of some wild scheme or another.

"Something like that," America replied, offering only a smile for England to wonder at.

England grunted, annoyed at the short response. He didn't have time to drill the younger nation for more details, there were more important things he had to worry about. "Anyways, why did you have to host the meeting in this town of all places?"

"What's the matter with having the meeting here?" America wondered, tilting his head.

"First of all, it's bloody depressing."

"I must agree with him on that," France said, sidling up to England's side, "and you know that's not to be taken lightly."

England elbowed France away grumpily, "and second of all, there's some unusual magic at work here."

"What makes you say that?" America's gaze was suddenly sharp.

The sudden change in America made England pause for a moment, caught off guard. When he continued, he watched him carefully, "my fairies have gotten sick."

"Your fairies," America repeated, his eyes narrowing every so slightly.

England raised an eyebrow, but before he could continue, France clasped his shoulders with a laugh.

"Our poor Angleterre is seeing things again," France told the younger nation.

"I am not, Francis! This is serious!" England wrenched himself from France's grasp, glaring fiercely. He didn't appreciate the teasing about his magical affinity on a normal day, but when his friends were at risk, he absolutely wouldn't tolerate it.

France must have sensed the true weight of England's concern then, for his teasing expression faded, giving way to a gentler emotion that made England feel somewhat uncomfortable. The Frenchman reached out to him again, about to say something, but America's laughter cut in between them, bringing an end to whatever kind of moment they were having.

"England, you worry too much," America patted England on the head, earning him a scathing look that he either didn't notice or just plain ignored. "This is just a regular, all-American town," he gave England a pointed look that he didn't know what to make of. "Now if you'll excuse me, there's still some stuff I need to take care of. Later, man!"

Then America was off, leaving England and France standing there.

"That was… unusual, was it not?" France murmured, his finger running over his lower lip thoughtfully.

England hummed in response, watching America's retreating form with narrowed eyes.

**-oAPHo-**

After a walk around the hotel, Liechtenstein found herself in much higher spirits than when she had first arrived. Most of the nations had arrived and she got to say hello to a few of her friends and spent some time socializing. Like herself, a lot of those she talked to had less than kind opinions about the meeting location, but she liked to think that having everyone together once more livened it up quite a bit.

Liechtenstein was eventually, though reluctantly, left to return to the hotel room by herself when Switzerland spotted Germany, who he needed to discuss business with. She had the layout of the building figured out pretty well by then, so she was up on their floor in no time at all.

Their room was close to the end of the hall, near the stairs. As she approached it, the door to the stairs opened and a member of the hotel staff stepped out. When he noticed Liechtenstein, he stopped and stared at her, his expression blank and unwavering. Liechtenstein's steps faltered and eventually stopped a good distance away from the man, unnerved by his attention.

She hesitated as his staring stretched on for uncomfortably long. She wanted to go to her room, but that would require her to go closer to the man and then to put her back to him as she opened the door. Just when she considered going back the way she came to look for her brother, the man's attention was diverted to some point behind her and she became aware of footsteps approaching from behind her.

"Lilli!" she was very relieved to hear Switzerland's voice call out to her.

A feeling of safety washed over Liechtenstein and she turned around to see her brother walking up to her with purposeful steps. "Hello, big brother," she said, a small smile on her face.

The staff member walked past her, now looking at both of the siblings as he made his way by. She couldn't help but tense when he was nearest to her. Switzerland seemed to pick up on this, as he took her by the arm and protectively pulled her closer to him.

"What happened?" he asked quietly when the man was further down the hall. He glared after him with suspicion.

"I'm not sure..." she admitted, her voice soft, "he just started staring at me and didn't say anything. It was very strange."

Switzerland's frown deepened and he began leading her back to the room. "I'll talk to America about it. From now on, don't go anywhere by yourself," he cautioned.

"Okay," she didn't feel the need to argue, sticking close to him as he unlocked the door. Just as she was about to follow him back into their room, she glanced down the hall one last time.

The man was gone.

Liechtenstein let out a breath, feeling better now that he was out of sight. She walked into the safety of the hotel room, content to write it off as a strange, one-time incident for the time being.

**-oAPHo-**

Austria tossed some aspirin into his mouth, swallowing it down with water. By the end of the night, his headache had yet to go away, if anything it was worse. He hoped that he wouldn't have to deal with it while attending tomorrow's meeting. The arguing and nonsense was hard to handle all by itself, it didn't need any help to make him miserable.

"Perhaps you should go see a doctor?" Hungary proposed worriedly.

Austria looked back at her. The other nation was already ready for bed, sitting on one side of their double in her night gown with her hair hanging over her shoulder in a loose braid. She'd begun to worry when his headache worsened, though he wished she wouldn't stress herself over it.

He shook his head, getting into bed with her. "There's no need for that yet. I'm sure it'll be gone by tomorrow."

"It'd better," she said softly, her voice teasing. She leaned over and kissed him goodnight, "sleep well, dear."

"You, too," he reached over and turned off the light and the two of them settled onto the mattress, pulling the sheets up over them. Austria closed his eyes with a sigh, trying to get comfortable.

Hopefully sleep would bring him some relief.

_**A/N: Things just keep getting stranger and stranger, don't they. Questions were raised in this chapter, but will the nations like the answers they find? If I were a betting man, I'd say it isn't likely. In the next chapter, the nations spend their first night in Arkham. You know what they say: nothing good comes after midnight.**_

_**Until next time, my devious darlings,**_

_**Unpleasant dreams.**_

_**P.S.- Sorry this took so long, especially after all the amazing support I received for the first chapter, for which I'm so incredibly grateful. On top of my fatigue issues, there were some things about this chapter that just weren't coming to me very smoothly, but I'm hoping the upcoming chapters will flow easier. **_

_**Thanks for reading and take care,**_

_**J**_


	3. Nightfall

**World of Horror**

**The Meeting of Madness**

**Part 3: Nightfall**

England grunted in frustration, closing up his suitcase. Of course the one time he needed his books on magic was when he decided to leave all of them at home.

He looked over to his fairies sleeping fitfully on a pillow on his nightstand. They weren't any better than when they'd arrived, but at the very least they hadn't gotten any worse. He supposed he could count that as a small fortune, but he didn't want to just sit by and wait to see if their conditions improved. Running a hand through his hair, he came to a decision.

The next day, during the hour long break the nations had halfway through the meeting, he would go into the city and see if he could find some books on magic. He wasn't sure how much luck he would have with his search, but he was certain of the magic he sensed in the air. Where there was magic, there tended to be people practicing it, and those practicing it oftentimes needed texts. He would see what the local bookstores and libraries had to offer, perhaps he would find a new age shop that would have something of use to him.

With a plan in mind, England began to get ready for bed.

**-oAPHo-**

Canada woke up in the middle of the night to the sounds of Kumajirou's growling.

"Kuma…?" he murmured sleepily, groping in the dark for his glasses. When he returned to his room that evening, his bear had calmed considerably. He wouldn't say that he was completely content with where they were staying, but he at least seemed as though he could tolerate it for the remainder of their time there. So what was bothering him now?

Sliding his glasses onto his face, Canada turned on the light, wincing at the sudden brightness. Blinking rapidly, he scanned the hotel room, finding Kumajirou standing before the door to the hallway looking as though he'd take a bite out of whatever stood on the other side.

The nation frowned, standing and padding his way over to his friend. "Kuma," he said quietly, trying to get the bear's attention, "what is it? What's wrong?"

The animal didn't respond, continuing to growl at the door.

Stepping around Kumajirou, his careful footfalls silenced by the carpet, Canada went up to the door and peered into the peephole.

He was just quick enough to catch someone as they passed in front of his door, a second later and he wouldn't have seen them. The nation stepped away from the door in surprise, he honestly hadn't expected to see anyone when he looked. Glancing at his companion, he saw that Kumajirou had backed away from the door and was no longer growling, but his teeth were on display in a silent snarl.

Worrying his lip, Canada reached for the doorknob hesitantly. Against his better judgment, he found himself indulging his curiosity. He opened the door as quietly as he could manage and peeked outside, looking down the hall in the direction he'd seen the person go.

It was America.

Canada's eyes widened, watching America, still dressed in the clothes he'd worn earlier that day despite the late hour, walking purposefully down the hall. What was his brother doing up so late? Was there still so much he had to do to get ready for the meeting that he was running around the hotel in the dead of night?

He stepped out into the hallway, about to call out to the other nation when he felt a tugging at his pajama pants. Looking down, he saw his bear had the leg of the garment in his teeth, staring back at him with unmistakable pleading in his eyes.

Canada couldn't help but feel unsettled by Kumajirou's behavior. The bear had remarkable instincts, and though there were times that communicating those in a way that his human could understand, even with his ability to speak, this message was clear.

_Don't go._

_It's not safe._

Even though he wasn't exactly sure what was going on, or what could possibly be unsafe in this hotel set up by his own twin, Canada withdrew back into his room without a fuss, closing the door as quietly as he'd opened it. He supposed the best thing to do for now was to try to make Kumajirou more comfortable and then go back to bed.

After all, he could always talk to America in the morning.

**-oAPHo-**

Liechtenstein opened her eyes, the need for the bathroom rousing her from a peaceful sleep, but only barely. She slowly rose from her bed, not bothering with the lights as she remained mindful of her brother sleeping in the room's second bed. She took a moment to rub at her arms, the room was a little too cold, and nothing they'd done seemed to help it. Moving sluggishly, her mind still fogged over with sleep, she quietly stumbled her way into the bathroom to take care of business.

Moments later, she emerged from the bathroom, focused on getting back under the covers and away from the chill in the room. She had just about lowered herself back on to the mattress when a sound made her pause.

Rattling.

Liechtenstein blinked, her mind steadily clearing up as she tried to figure out what the sound was. It took her a few moments coupled with her eyes finally adjusting to the dark for her to register the source. When she did, her eyes widened in alarm.

It was the door knob.

Someone was trying to get into the room.

Liechtenstein sucked in a breath, trying to refrain from making any loud noises as her heart began to race in her chest. Suddenly the chill in the room seemed so much more pronounced. Quietly, swiftly, she went to her brother's bedside.

"B-Big Brother," she whispered urgently, her voice so soft it was almost drowned out by the rattling at the door. She placed a small hand on Switzerland's shoulder and shook it firmly. She felt the man's form grow tense beneath her touch and his head turned towards her, his eyes laser focused on hers in the dark, as if he hadn't just been roused from a deep slumber.

"Someone's trying to get in."

Just like that, Switzerland was out of the bed, pistol in hand. Without a word, he motioned for her to stay back and she obeyed, her fingers bunching worriedly into the fabric of her nightgown. She watched tensely as he silently marched over to the door, looking through the peephole.

Suddenly, Switzerland swore, throwing the door open. "You!" he shouted, and then, "hey! Get back here and explain yourself!" before disappearing out the door, giving chase to whomever was on the other side.

"Big Brother!" Liechtenstein exclaimed, rushing to the door and looking outside after her brother. She was able to catch sight of the door accessing the stairwell closing, indicating the direction Switzerland had gone.

"What's going on?"

Liechtenstein looked over to the door across from her, seeing the Philippines standing in the doorway watching her curiously. She must have been drawn out of her room by her brother's shouts. It was past midnight after all, frankly she was surprised that only one of their neighbors had come to investigate the commotion.

Despite her worries about where her brother had gone, Liechtenstein found herself smiling apologetically, "I'm very sorry, Miss Philippines, did we wake you?"

The island nation shook her head, smiling kindly, "you're fine, you're fine," she waved her off breezily. "I was having trouble getting to sleep. It's _freezing_ here!" she shook her arms and shoulders and made a 'brr!' sound to emphasize her point.

Liechtenstein laughed lightly, but the sound died down rather quickly. She cast a glance at the stairs, worried that her brother had yet to return.

"Ayos ka lang ba?" Philippines asked. She, too, looked to the stairwell, probably guessing what was on her mind. "Are you okay?" she clarified at the other girl's somewhat puzzled look, smiling sheepishly.

"Ah, I'm just waiting for Big Brother to come back..." she told her, her fingers yet again worrying at her nightclothes.

"I see," Philippines nodded. She then crossed the hall and stood beside her, linking arms with her and giving her a friendly smile. "I'll keep you company!"

Liechtenstein's eyes widened in surprise, but soon she was smiling, feeling grateful at the other nation's kindness towards her even though they were not close. "Thank you," she said, the idea of sitting alone in her room, worrying about her brother until he came back had not appealed to her. She was glad to have someone with her right now.

Philippines just patted her hand reassuringly and began to chatter at her quietly about her flight over and time differences and being ill-prepared for the colder climate and other light topics. She didn't seem bothered in the slightest that Liechtenstein didn't have much to say, another thing the European nation was grateful for.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed when Switzerland finally returned, looking out of breath and angry. He had rushed out of the room with bare feet in his haste to catch whoever he'd seen at the door, and they were now covered in dirt. Had he pursued the person all the way out of the building?

"Big Brother!" Liechtenstein called to him in relief as he neared their room. She was so glad to see him come back in one piece.

"Lilli," Switzerland looked surprised to see her, and he picked up his pace as he approached her, frowning in concern. "What are you doing outside of the room?" he demanded, his tone harsh, but she knew it was out of worry.

"She was waiting for you, Mr. Switzerland. She was very worried," Philippines spoke up beside her, giving him a pointed look. As Philippines wasn't as familiar with them or the awkwardness in which Switzerland often displayed his care, Liechtenstein guessed that the island nation was trying to keep her from getting into trouble.

Switzerland blinked, seeming to notice the Philippines for the first time. His expression calmed just a little bit, "you were with her?" he asked.

"Oo," she nodded.

"I see," he nodded stiffly, then added an awkward but sincere, "thank you."

"It was no trouble," Philippines waved him off, then gave Liechtenstein a kind smile, "you are in good hands now. I will go."

"Thank you, Miss Philippines," Liechtenstein said gratefully.

Philippines gave her hand a final pat then let go, "magandang gabi," she nodded to the two of them politely, bidding them good night, and then returned to her room.

Once the two siblings were alone, Switzerland took Liechtenstein by the shoulder and guided her back into their room. He closed the door behind them, securing it further with the latch lock.

"What happened?" Liechtenstein asked him, "who was out there?"

Switzerland didn't speak at first, running a hand through his mussed hair. There was a grave look in his eyes as he faced her, perhaps a bit of hesitation. She could tell that she wouldn't like his answer.

"It was the man from earlier," he told her, softly, "the one you encountered out in the hall."

Liechtenstein gasped, a cold wave of shock running through her at the new information. She moved, sitting heavily on her brother's bed, and stared up at him with wide eyes, her lips parted but no words coming out. She had no idea what to say. She didn't understand. Why was this person trying to get into the room? What did he want with them?

Her brother took a seat beside her, and she leaned against him, the warmth of his body comforting her. He reached down and placed his hand over hers. "I chased after him, but I couldn't catch up to him. I lost sight of him in the parking garage." So he _had_ chased him out of the building. "I… shouldn't have left you here by yourself. I'm sorry."

"It's alright," she assured him softly, linking her fingers through his and squeezing.

He squeezed back firmly, protectively. Despite her fear, she found herself soothed by the gesture. "I have matters to discuss with other nations tomorrow at the meeting that can't be put off," he told her, and she could make out the regret in his voice, "but no matter what, we will _not_ be staying here another night. I promise."

"Okay," she felt relieved at that, but she still was not looking forward to the rest of the time they had to spend there, no matter how short it was.

"Get some sleep," Switzerland told her, "I'll keep watch."

"But then you won't get any sleep," she said, concerned. He'd already spent so much time running around, and he had business to handle at the meeting. She didn't want him to exhaust himself.

"I'll be fine," his tone didn't leave any room for further argument. To soften it, he gave her hand a final squeeze, "now get back to bed."

Liechtenstein bit her lip, but relented, standing from the bed. She put her arms around her brother's shoulders in an affectionate hug, "good night," she said.

He patted her arm, "good night."

She let go, and with one last glance towards her brother and then the door, she returned to her bed to try and get back to sleep.

**-oAPHo-**

Austria found himself descending down a deep cavern, his body seemingly weightless as he sank deeper and deeper and deeper.

He could not see the bottom, only an unfathomable darkness beneath him, beckoning him. He wanted to see what was there, but at the same time, he didn't. He couldn't understand his contradictory desires, couldn't understand how he had gotten there or how to get out. All he could do was fall.

It felt like hours had passed when he finally sensed a change. A sound came to his ears, horrible, beautiful, frightening, seducing. It penetrated his skull wormed its way into his brain, overpowering his senses.

He could no longer see, could not feel, smell, or taste. He could only hear. In his eyes he saw the sound, in his mouth it laid heavy upon his tongue. He breathed it in, felt it glide along his skin, slice into him. The sound. Oh god, oh god, _the sound!_

Austria was overcome by fear, joy, anger, sadness, love, but above all madness. He was being torn apart, overcome by the great cacophony that rose from the darkness at the bottom of the cavern. He wanted to die, he wanted to live, he wanted to listen, he wanted to carve his ear drums from his ears.

He wanted- He _needed__-_

"-wake up! Roderich! Roderich please!"

Austria woke up to the sound of a great, terrible scream. It took him nearly half a minute before he finally realized that he was the one that was screaming.

With this realization he was able to stop, his throat feeling raw, his breath coming out in pants. He looked around with wide eyes to take in his surroundings.

He was in his hotel room, the light of the morning streaming in from a space between the curtains. He was on his bed and above him was Hungary, her hands gripping onto his shoulders, great concern in her expression as she gazed down at him.

"Elizabeta..." he croaked, his voice damaged from the screaming.

"You were screaming in your sleep," she told him, there was a slight tremor in the hands that gripped his shoulders, "it was- you sounded so-" she cut herself off, shaking her head.

Austria sat up, gathering her hands in his own. It was upsetting to see her so shaken. He knew what his screams sounded like to his own ears, he could only imagine what she must have thought, waking to that. "I just… had a strange dream," he murmured, thinking back to the dream he just had. When he did so, when he remembered the sound he heard, his stomach lurched suddenly and he did his best to banish it from his mind. "I'm alright now," he assured her.

She didn't seem so convinced, her frown deepening. When he offered no more information, she sighed, reaching up to his face. She caressed his cheeks, smoothed her thumbs over his creased brow, sorted out his hair. She didn't press him. They all had things that haunted them in their sleep, it wasn't so strange to be overcome by something in the night. "Is your headache any better?" she asked quietly, and he knew she'd let the previous topic slide.

Austria, who had up until this point been wholly distracted by her comforting touch, paused, reflecting upon the state of his headache. "It's not nearly as bad as last night," he answered, feeling relief. In all honesty, he'd forgotten it was there in the chaos he woke to.

"Well, that's something at least," a smile graced Hungary's features and Austria was glad for it, drinking the sight in.

He took one of her hands in his, kissing the inside of her wrist. "We should get ready for the meeting," he told her, doing his best to assure her that he was okay and well enough for the day's meeting.

She hesitated, but eventually gave in. She gave him a chaste kiss, "okay," she said, rising from the bed.

Austria held back a sigh, taking a moment to gather his thoughts before getting out of bed as well.

What an awful start to the day.

_**A/N: Okay so I'm dropping the horror host act in this A/N to apologize for the late update and say that at this point this story will definitely not be finished by the 31st if that wasn't already obvious XDX Fatigue and IRL stuff got the better of me in these past weeks.**_

_**When the month began, I think I was feeling too ambitious. Even though I was writing again for the first time in years and writing a lot, I'm still not completely well… And even before I got sick and life got, you know, the idea of finishing a multi-chapter fic in a month is an intense goal to have.**_

_**But you know, it won't kill me to just take World of Horror into November, and December or however long I need. I don't think there's a time limit on horror fun. **_

_**So, just because the month is ending doesn't mean I'm abandoning this fic, I'm still very passionate about it and will see it through to the end. Also, I have two more one-shots for this series planned that I'll get out as well.**_

_**As for this chapter, it's more build up, and I'm worried readers might think I'm dragging it all out. But trust me, when shit goes down in this story, it's going to Go Down and with a quickness. Also, I couldn't help but put a Philippines OC in here. It was meant to be a short cameo but then it all ran away from me. She'll probs show up later on, though the focus still remains on the four POV characters.**_

_**I also should warn you that it's looking increasingly likely that there's going to be Character Death by the end of this story. I've been really going back and forth on it, so I don't know for sure just yet, but just a head's up.**_

_**Thank you for the feedback, follows, and favs on the first two chapters. I wasn't expecting this to be received so well and I'm so grateful for it all. I hope you will continue to enjoy this story and follow it through to the end. **_

_**Take care everyone and have a safe and spooky Halloween.**_

_**-J**_


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